Projector for moving pictures.



B.-J. S UCH, PROJECTOR FOR MOVING PICTURES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 3.1916.

1,261,31 5. Patented Ap1fl2, 1918.

BENJAMIN J. SUCH, OF PERTH AMTBOY, NEW JERSEY.

PROJECTOR FOR MOVING PICTURES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

Application filed October 3, 1916. Serial No. 123,547.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN J. SUCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Perth Amboy, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Projector for Moving .Pictures, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to moving picture projectors; and the objects of my invention are to provide a means of stopping the film at intervals, with the picture in frame, so that the action on the .screen may synchronize in a measure with a dialogue or recital delivered by a human voice or by a phonograph.

I attain this object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a vertical view of the projector, showing a part of the lamp-house.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the mechanism for controllin the movement of the film.

Similar etters refer to similar parts in the drawings.

In Fig. 1, A is the motion head, B is a square glass reservoir of water introduced between the arc light and the film. C shows a part of the lamp-house containing the arc light. The film is drawn from the magazine by the sprocket wheel 0, is held in position by film gate 6, is taken over the sprocket wheel d and passes thence into the take-up magazine. The magazines are not shown in the drawing. e is a heater or loop-setter that imparts an intermittent movement to the film and frames each successive picture. f is the lens and g is the shutter that revolves close in front of the lens and prevents flicker. These features, in varied forms, are common to all projectors and form no part of my invention. In the ordinary projector the film passes the aperture at a very rapidly, and if the movement should be slowed down or stopped, an automatic shutter shuts off the light and prevents ignition.

In order to stop the film without danger of igniting it, I introduce a square glass vessel B filled with clear water between the are light and the film. One side of the metal case is omitted in the drawing in order to show the glass vessel. The rays of light, which are usually focused on the film, in passing through this volume of water are cooled without materially affecting the illumination of the picture on the screen. There is sufficient space between the film and the opening in the lamp-house to admit a reservoir containing a volume of water sufiicient to protect the film from the heat of a flaming arc of 220 volts, alternating current, and about 40 amperes, for several minutes, which is, I think the strongest light used.

As the film is run at the rate of two revolutions of the wheel a second, framing sixteen pictures, it is impossible for any operator to stop at any particular picture and have it in frame.

To overcome this I provide a mechanism which will interrupt the film at every fourth or eighth picture, or it may be kept running at the usual speed. By this means the action on the screen may be made to synchronize very closely with the dialogue or speech. In the mechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 2 thespur wheels h and i are fixed on the shaft of the sprocket wheel d. Between these spur wheels there is a disk of metal j, slightly larger in diameter, against which a clutch is is held by the spring Z. In this disk there is a notch g which engages the clutch at each revolution, framing eight pictures. By holding down this clutch the operator can keep the film running without interruption. The wheel m has only a segment of spurs, suffi cient, when in gear with the wheel h to turn it one half revolution. The wheels m and n are joined together with an interval between, and can be drawn back and forth on the shaft. In order to frame only four pictures, these wheels are pushed back so that the wheel m is in position to gear with the wheel 7t and give it one half revolution. When the wheel on is in position where it clears the wheel it the handle bar 0 strikes a pin 0 which stands out just far enough to check any further movement, so that the wheel a is kept in position to mesh with the wheel z in the proper place when the wheels are drawn forward.

WVhen these wheels are drawn forward and the wheel n is in gear with the wheel 71 the handle bar 0 is far enough out to clear the pin 70, and the film can be kept running without interruption.

' I would more clearly explain the operation pf the device for arresting the film as folows:

Supposing that it is desired to frame'four pictures; the wheel m being in osition to gear with the wheel h, is turne until the handle 0 strikes the pin 39, thus giving the wheel h one half turn, framing four pictures.

In Fig. 1 the wheel m is shown in the poiven sition in which it would be after it has the wheel h one half revolution. To rame four more pictures, the handle is pulled out, bringing the wheel a into mesh with the wheel z and throwing the wheel m out of gear with the wheel h. The wheels are now in position where the wheel m will be'clear of the wheel h and the handle 0 Will work clear of the pin 17. With the wheels inthis position, one half turn of the wheel n brings the notch g in the disk j to a pointwhere the clutch is engages it and stops the movement of the film at the fourth picture. By releasing the clutch is until it is clear of the notch g the wheel 71 can be given one revolution and the film arrested at the eighth picture. The wheels are all of the same diameter and one full revolution exposes eight pictures. By holding down the clutch is the film can be run without interruption or stopped at a given point by letting go the clutch. I

I claim:

In a projector for the display of moving pictures, the combination with the drivin mechanism of a notched disk and a clutc to engage the same, so arranged as to arrest BENJAMIN J. sUoH.

Witnesses:

J. C. Coss, W. H. JACOBSEN. 

